TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s stormy first five months in office are drawing mixed reviews from New Jersey voters.

Voters responding to a Quinnipiac University poll are split on his job performance, with 44 percent approving and 43 disapproving. And 44 percent call him a "leader" while 43 percent describe him as a "bully."

"Like him or not, it’s clear Gov. Chris Christie has brought a New Jersey bounce to the governor’s office," said poll director Maurice Carroll.

Christie’s efforts on property taxes drew a thumbs-up from voters, as two-thirds support his proposed constitutional amendment to cap property tax growth at 2.5 percent; 53 percent back suspending property tax rebates; and six in ten are for his efforts to limit salary increases for public employees.

But more than half of the voters oppose laying off 1,300 state workers and three quarters say he should not close psychiatric institutions. Voters, by wide margins, also oppose Christie’s plans to cut school and municipal aid.

"We don’t expect unanimous support for all the governor’s policies; that’s just part of governing, being a leader and making hard choices," said Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak. "But it is gratifying to see such wide support for the centerpiece of our reforms package."

The poll also found six in ten voters say Christie should have signed a bill that would raise taxes on households earning more than $1 million a year. Democrats will attempt to override Christie’s veto of the bill on Monday.

Voters also disagree with Christie’s refusal to renominate state Supreme Court Justice John Wallace (36 - 29 percent). But the Democrat-controlled Legislature’s approval rating as a whole is far lower than the governor’s (19 percent). The poll was conducted June 10 to June 15, and surveyed 1,461 New Jersey voters. It has a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.

Gov. Chris Christie on NJ Supreme Court and school funding

Gov. Chris Christie on NJ Supreme Court and school fundingNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie tells a crowd at a town hall meeting in Robbinsville, NJ on June 3, 2010 why he wants to change the makeup of the state Supreme Court. Christie blasts the court for mandating more spending in urban districts saying if judges want to legislate "they should run for the legislature."